Brockton mayor making headway on surveillance video efforts

BROCKTON – Longtime Brockton resident David Teixeira runs Mattress Maker on Montello Street and said he believes in the power of video surveillance to deter crime.“Cameras are going to be the future of safety for everybody,” Teixeira said. “You will think twice about breaking the law if you know there’s a camera there.”

It’s no wonder, then, that Teixeira was one of the first business leaders in Brockton to work with Mayor Bill Carpenter on a three-pronged video surveillance effort aimed at deterring lawlessness and aiding crime-solving.

Carpenter has proposed to the License Commission that establishments serving alcohol after midnight install video surveillance systems covering the inside and outside of their buildings.

He also recently mandated that businesses who operate between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. install a similar surveillance system.

Finally, for the last several weeks Carpenter and Police Chief Robert Hayden have been asking various businesses on main streets and intersections to install cameras voluntarily.

Mattress Maker and the nearby Station Lofts Apartments are two of the first businesses to agree to cooperate, Carpenter said. Joining them is the Parking Authority, which has agreed to install additional exterior cameras as part of an upgrade of its surveillance system.

The Parking Authority is preparing to install $50,000 worth of surveillance equipment at its downtown garage – 20 on the various levels inside to protect staff and customers and six lining three sides of the exterior of the building, Director Robert Malley said.

“The perimeter fits in with what the mayor is trying to do to get the streets covered,” Malley said.

The money comes from approximately $300,000 leftover from a renovation project completed during the last fiscal year, Malley said.

Jason Korb, principal of Station Lofts developer Capstone Communities LLC, said he is still working on finalizing an agreement with Carpenter on the cameras, but that he is happy to cooperate.

“I’m very, very supportive of what the mayor wants to do in terms of securing downtown,” Korb said.

Carpenter has faced more significant pushback from bar and restaurant owners. Several appeared at a License Commission last month, expressing concern about the cost.

Such systems can quickly run into the thousands of dollars, depending on what a business has in place currently and the storage and coverage requirements.

To ease concerns, Carpenter said he has agreed to seek 30 days of video storage, rather than 60 days, and to lessen the penalty for owners who fail to promptly fix broken equipment.

Carpenter said he plans to meet privately with bar and restaurant owners before next month’s continued License Commission hearing.

The mayor said he could be flexible on complete interior coverage, especially if owners agree to electronic ID swiping devices.

“I’m not looking to hurt the small business owner,” Carpenter said. “I’m not looking to ram anything down anyone’s throat.”